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For more information, contact our Merced and Visalia-area personal injury lawyers, representing all of California, at any time.
The Dunnion Law Firm
Review these frequently asked questions to learn more about what we do and why. If a question is not answered here, speak to a Dunnion Law Firm lawyer at 1-800-DUNNION to learn more. Our Merced and Visalia-area personal injury lawyers help normal people from throughout California win every day.
It is always better to act quickly and talk to a lawyer as soon as possible especially if the injuries are serious or a death has resulted. All too often, valuable evidence disappears or moves, memories fade, and the practical ability to prove your case may be affected. If you are still being treated by a physician, a lawyer can also provide you guidance concerning your medical care and help you deal with unpaid bills and getting proper treatment. Also, if clients wait too long, the statute of limitations for their cases may run out, leaving them without recourse. The sooner the California-based The Dunnion Law Firm’s veteran Merced and Visalia-area personal injury lawyers can begin work on a case, the more likely it is that we will win a large cash settlement for the client without unnecessary delay.
Though insurance companies claim to have their customers' interests at heart, in reality they are massive financial institutions with a simple goal: maximize profits by collecting premiums while paying out as little as possible for each claim. Insurance adjusters get and keep their jobs based on their ability to induce people to accept less money than they deserve. When taken to extremes, this practice is known as insurance bad faith. Insurance companies are obligated to the stockholders of their company, their supervisors and to the negligent person who caused your injuries. They owe you NOTHING! Insurance companies have enormous advantages over you. They have vast wealth to do battle, expert employees, and all the time in the world for negotiations. Additionally, they have the resources to hire top-notch legal representation. All of these resources will be used to minimize the size of every claim. The aggressive, client-driven personal injury lawyers at The Dunnion Law Firm have a different goal: to secure the largest possible cash settlement in each and every personal injury case. Our lawyers will protect the client's interests at all times and make sure that they walk away with every cent to which they are entitled.
There are many elements that go into processing a successful accident claim such as investigation, medical management, discovery, valuation, negotiation, settlement, and (if necessary) litigation. Trying to handle your own personal injury case is somewhat analogous to performing brain surgery on yourself. Obviously you would not do this. What one would do is find the best expert to do it for you. The seasoned, specialized lawyers of the Dunnion Law Firm will provide the best chance you have of maximizing your recovery for injuries and damages. An experienced personal injury lawyer from the Dunnion Law Firm will give you a free, no-obligation initial consultation to discuss and evaluate your accident case. We can also assist you in obtaining a rental car and starting the often tedious property damage claim. Of great importance is the role the our attorneys play in assisting you to determine which medical professionals can best diagnose, treat, and heal your injuries (and in some cases wait to be paid for their services out of the proceeds of your settlement). Finally, and most importantly, our experienced personal injury lawyers will be able to fully value the damages you incurred and will successfully and aggressively negotiate a maximum settlement for you with any and all liable insurance companies. In effect you hire The Dunnion Law Firm as an expert to represent you and your best interests in obtaining a settlement large enough to pay all bills arising from the accident and to put money in your pocket to compensate you for pain and suffering, lost wages, inconvenience, and other expenses incurred because of the incident.
Also consider that the large multi-million dollar insurance companies use lawyers - scores of them - to protect their interests (money) against you. When an insurance adjuster offers you an unfair substandard amount for your damages, injuries, pain, and suffering (presuming you even know the offer is unfair in the first place) - and you protest - and they respond with, "Take it or leave it"; what will you do then? You hire the personal injury specialists at The Dunnion Law Firm who know how much you deserve and have the means and ability to back up their demands! Our qualified, aggressive lawyers will achieve a greater settlement for you then you can get for yourself. Most lawyers are not injury specialists, and they simply do not know how to effectively manage a personal injury claim. For more than three decades, our lawyers have done nothing else but represent victims in personal injury claims.
The question as to how much your case is worth can only be answered with a qualified, "It depends." There is no tried or proven formula to determining the value of your case. Instead, the value is based on a careful analysis by an expert in personal injury law of the facts, legal liability, nature and extent of injuries, as well as medical expenses, lost income, loss of future earnings, pain, suffering, physical impairment, and other damages.
There are three basic elements that must be fully developed in your favor in order for you to win a big cash settlement: liability (fault), causation, and damages. In other words, was a wrong committed by another that caused an injury and damages to you? There is no specific calculation or formula for determining how much a case is worth. A case may have extraordinary liability and very few damages. Other cases may have extraordinary damages and borderline liability. Each of these can impact the settlement value of a case. In general terms, a person has a right to be financially compensated for all losses/damages due to the actions of the liable party or parties. This includes financial losses such as medical expenses and property damage, lost time at work, and personal losses such as pain and suffering or loss of consortium with your spouse. Other factors typically include the injuries effects on the everyday life and activities of the person, the effect on the ability to work and the time period over which these effects lasted. What could you do before the accident that you can no longer do now or that you can't do as well? Did you miss work and if so, how much? Did you have to go on light duty? All of these factors must be considered when evaluating a personal injury case. Additional factors that need to be considered are the credibility of the various witnesses involved, the location where the incident took place, the insurance company that is involved on the other side and whether any medical care providers or health insurance companies may have rights of subrogation or claims upon the proceeds of recovery. Frequently, individuals will hear stories that so-and-so received "x" amount of dollars for their injury, which is the same as mine, so therefore I should receive the same amount as so-and-so. Just as you cannot compare apples to oranges, you cannot compare one personal injury case to another. It is useful to compare similar cases if the facts are very similar, and in fact, a good personal injury lawyer will review the verdicts and settlements that are reported through various sources. However, it is just as important to note what facts are different in those cases as to note what facts are similar.
It is only after a thorough review of the facts and law that apply to each case, and a review of the injury and treatment that an honest evaluation can be made. People who give on the spot evaluations, including attorneys, are doing a disservice to the person and are probably giving an inaccurate evaluation.
The personal injury lawyers of The Dunnion Law Firm use aggressive, thorough, proven tactics to maximize the value of each and every case, so that our clients are compensated in full. Many of our clients can’t believe how much their case is really worth. For more information, or for a detailed case analysis, speak to one of our personal injury attorneys today.
Have further questions? Contact the Merced and Visalia-area personal injury lawyers at The Dunnion Law Firm, serving all of California from San Francisco to San Diego, at any time to learn more or to schedule a free consultation.